Audi A7

The Car Connection Audi A7 Overview

The Audi A7 is closely related to the A6 luxury sedan, yet it's far more interesting to look at from some angles. The A7 is a hatchback, technically, but not an obvious one: from the outside, it's more of a fastback sedan, with a gorgeous sloping profile that ends in a very useful cargo opening.

While the A7 and A6 share drivetrain components and equipment in most models, and the A7 comes in a pair of high-performance versions, the S7 and RS 7, while the A6 gets only the S6. The performance models are covered in a separate report.

The A7 competes with other style-conscious offerings like the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class and the BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe. For 2017, the A7 is mostly unchanged aside from some additional standard features and a new design package for the base model.

No matter whether you call Audi's A7 a fastback, a four-door coupe, or a hatchback, we've found it to be one of the best entries of its kind—and that's whether you go by refinement, performance, or features in addition to style. The sloping rear makes the A7 one of the best-looking vehicles you can buy today, and it also makes it one of a small set of vehicles crafted specifically to appeal to design enthusiasts. On top of that, it's more practical than a conventional four-door sedan.

The A7 is more a sport sedan than a sports car—and even then, not a sharply honed one unless you trim up to the high-performance S7 or batty RS 7. Regardless, we've found the A7 to be both fun to drive and well-mannered enough for the daily commute or long-distance road trips.

The supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine (3.0 TFSI) started at 310 but is now up to 333 horsepower. It fits the quiet character of a luxury car yet churns out the torque just off idle and develops a raspy bark when called on. It's matched with Audi's 8-speed automatic transmission, which proves a willing companion and comes with Tiptronic manual controls. Quattro all-wheel drive delivers power to all four wheels, and Audi Drive Select allows the driver to pick among four different modes that control the way the transmission responds, the feel of the steering, and throttle responsiveness, among other variables.

There's great isolation from road and wind noise inside, and as in Audi's TT sports car, an integrated spoiler extends (at 80 mph in the A7) to improve aerodynamics—then it retracts back at 50 mph. Hydraulic bushings help mute out harshness, as do frameless doors, and the A7 stays stiff yet light through the extensive use of aluminum in its structure.

Inside, the A7 gets some of the best elements from the cabin of Audi's A8 flagship, including superb trim materials and Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) Plus screen-based infotainment system. MMI features a combination rotary controller and an interface for audio and navigation as well as calling functions. In addition to the controller, there's MMI Touch, which lets you enter destinations, phonebook entries, and such by tracing out individual letters on a trackpad. The navigation system in the A7 has 3-D Google Earth imagery; combined with SiriusXM Traffic updates, it's one of the best systems on the market.

While the rear hatch and its sloped backlight make the A7 prettier than a conventional sedan, they also add versatility and practicality. The rear seats can fold to afford more cargo space, and the large opening and extra space make loading bulky items easy. The cargo area boasts an impressive 24.5 cubic feet of space. Rear head room suffers only a bit as a result of the roofline, though most will agree that this small (and likely infrequent) inconvenience is worth the usability dividends compared to a standard sedan.

The A7 was new to the U.S. market for the 2012 model year, and for 2013 there were only a few minor feature and option changes. That's also the year the Audi S7 was added to the lineup. For the 2014 model year the even hotter Audi RS 7 was introduced in the U.S., with higher specific output and a track-ready suspension. It gets 560 hp in standard form and the RS 7 boasts an incredible 605 hp if you tack on the performance package.

Another engine option joined the lineup for 2014, this one at the other end of the fuel-economy spectrum from the RS 7. Audi began offering its 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 in the A7, paired with an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The engine put out 240 hp and a delightful 428 pound-feet of torque, sending the car to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It was also able to return 24 mpg city, 38 highway, according to the EPA. In November 2015, the EPA notified Audi that its 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 illegally skirted emissions tests and the automaker subsequently stopped selling the model in the U.S. It's unclear if the diesel A7 will return to the States, though parent-company Volkswagen has said it is working toward a fix for those cars already in owners' hands.

Few changes were made for the 2015 model year. The 2016 model year brought a facelift all around, yet the changes were relatively subtle: new headlights and taillights, revisions to the grille and fascias, and an updated interior design, plus the latest from Audi's infotainment cabinet, incorporating a faster processor. Additionally, the adaptive cruise control added the ability to come to complete stop and resume following. There was also an improved night vision system, and the lineup gained further improvements to the Audi Pre Sense forward collision warning system. Audi boosted the specific output of the base A7 3.0 TFSI to 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque for 2016 as well.

The 2017 model gets further refinements to both bumpers, an expanded color palette, and new wheel patterns. Interior changes for 2017 include new LED ambient lighting packages, aluminum and wood dash accents, improved Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, a wireless charging pad, and an available rear-seat entertainment package utilizing a pair of tablet PCs.

Excellent styling inside and out; quality throughout

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After two months, I have nothing but accolades for the A7. Solid handling without feeling too heavy. Previous car was a BMW 335i. Obviously much larger inside, but I'm surprised that it doesn't feel like I'm...
After two months, I have nothing but accolades for the A7. Solid handling without feeling too heavy. Previous car was a BMW 335i. Obviously much larger inside, but I'm surprised that it doesn't feel like I'm driving a much larger car. I love the fact that I don't see a lot of A7's on the road. Gorgeous car! + More »

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June 14, 2015

2013 Audi A7 4-Door HB quattro 3.0 Premium Plus

The do it all sport sedan

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Imagine a car that is fast, handles great, exceeds 30 mpg on the highway, has the functionality of a spacious hatchback, rides comfortably, is loaded with all the bells and whistles and looks stunning- that's...
Imagine a car that is fast, handles great, exceeds 30 mpg on the highway, has the functionality of a spacious hatchback, rides comfortably, is loaded with all the bells and whistles and looks stunning- that's the Audi A7 + More »

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Was this review helpful to you? Yes

April 14, 2015

For 2013 Audi A7

Outstanding automobile in all respects.

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This car excels in all categories. The "S" model has an extra 100hp but this gets one anyplace they need to go as quickly as you wish. If you are a car guy and love to drive this is your car.